[lsbskins1]

Quote by: stevemckay Why the Euro-American guilt here? History is chock full of Empires. The Egyptian Empire, The Roman Empire, The Ottoman Empire, The Aztec Empire, The Mayan Empire, The Inca Empire... etc. Why are you focused on the most recent examples to make your point? Yes... each one has caused considerable damage to local resources and culture but on the other hand we may not be as advanced (if you call this advanced) or as connected as we are now without it. The fact is that whether you are human, chimpanzee or even the apparently lowly ant... Building an "Empire" seems to be an evolutionary fact of civilization. In this I agree with Anmon. Sorry Anmon... not to say you believe in evolution of any sort.

I don't know about anyone else, but my point is not that Empire is uniquely Western or that we Western-European people are somehow worse than anyone else. My point is that we have to honestly access the results of our behavior as humans. Humans are uniquely capable of destroying our environment and uniquely capable of destroying ourselves. Just because "others" are guilty of the same offense does not mean we should be less critical of the offense in ourselves. If we keep committing the same errors, we will keep causing the same disasters. What is wrong with asking people to learn and adapt? I may get caustic when someone implies that "we" advanced, superhuman, Western-European culture bearing individuals have brought so much greatness and advancement to the world that "we" should be wrapped in glory and have laurel wreaths placed on our heads, but that is not because I think we are really shit. It is because I believe that we are just as human as anyone else and that everyone else is just as human as we are.